When it comes to small business startups in the United States, women entrepreneurs are increasingly leading the way. According to the American Express OPEN State of Women-Owned Business report, last year women started a whopping 1,200 new businesses a day—up substantially from the already-impressive 740 a day the year before.

In case you’re still not convinced that women business owners are a force to be reckoned with, check out these additional statistics from the report:

• 40% of all new companies in the U.S. are started by women.
• There are 9.1 million women-owned businesses in the United States. They generate more than $1.4 trillion in revenue each year and employ more than 7.8 million people.
• By comparison, in 1997, the Census Bureau reported 5.4 million women-owned companies, generating overall revenues of $819 million and employing 7.1 million people.
• Since 1997, growth of firms owned by women of color has outpaced that of all other types of women-owned businesses. In 1997, women of color owned just 17 % of women-owned firms; today, that figure has grown to 33%.